Age does not worry him, says Lib hopeful

By Andrew Clennell State Political Editor

18 June 2007 — 10:00am

ALEX HAWKE, the right-wing branch recruiter who is hated among many of the Liberal Party's moderates, is closer to achieving his dream of becoming a federal MP after an apparent about-face by supporters of the Prime Minister, John Howard, about his suitability for the seat.

Mr Hawke's resounding win, 81 votes to 20, against David Elliott, deputy chief executive of Australian Hotels Association, won him preselection for the safe seat of Mitchell at the weekend.

The change in view was exemplified by a series of "friendly" questions asked of Mr Hawke by Mr Howard's representative on the party's state executive, Bill Heffernan, during a meeting of preselectors before the vote for the seat on Saturday.

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Party sources believe that as Mr Hawke obviously had the numbers to win, Mr Howard had decided it was not worth joining a fight over the preselection. The sources said Mr Howard had previously said that Mr Hawke, 30, was too young for the seat.

Federal Labor jumped on Mr Hawke's win yesterday, resurrecting one of the issues raised in before the state election about the rise of the so-called religious right in the Liberal Party.

"Alex Hawke is an extremist and a divisive character," said the Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese. "The question that Liberal voters will be asking themselves is: 'Is there any room for mainstream or moderate voices in the current climate of the Liberal Party?"'

One source from the left of the Liberal Party said Mr Hawke's win showed that not only was the former state opposition leader Peter Debnam unable to stop the religious right in preselections, but that Mr Howard could not do so either. But Mr Hawke, a former lieutenant to the right-wing powerbroker and upper house MP David Clarke, said many of his views were similar to those of the Howard Government.

"I obviously don't think I'm a very controversial figure," he said. "I have stood for some conservative views and some conservative issues … I think that's part and parcel of the political process - a contest of ideas."

Of suggestions that he had used a military-style approach to help Mr Clarke and the right wing take over the party numbers, Mr Hawke said: "I have never shrunk from signing people up to the Liberal Party. I have signed up a lot of people over the years, but I do [that] only for the betterment of the party …

"As a member of parliament I will continue encouraging people to join the Liberal Party."

He said the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, was 30 when he entered Parliament and the Minister for Ageing, Christopher Pyne, was 26.

The sitting MP for Mitchell, Alan Cadman, who pulled out of the race on Friday night, said he did not want to comment on Mr Hawke's endorsement.